Why Do We Study History Of Art? Essays Example

Introduction

Art can be defined as the manifestation or application of ones’ creative skill as well as imagination, especially through various visual forms such as paintings and sculptures. In doing so, the person producing the work expects appreciation from the public primarily for the beauty or emotional power of the art. However, in order appropriately to describe art, it is indispensable, firstly, to stop and consider art as a basically means to pleasure and a major aspect of human life. Art causes the audience of the work to enter into a certain form of relationship with the producer, the art work and everybody else who, at the same time, heretofore, or afterwards, access the same artistic impression.
On the other hand, the extrinsic approach adopted by philosophers like Leo Tolsty has occasionally been quite satisfactory. The proponents of this ideology have continuously attached its value to the aesthetic experience it offers which is quite unique and can hardly be obtained anywhere else. In addition, extremists of this philosophy have moved further to suggest that, art is a satisfactory validation of itself. They have also proposed that in order to appreciate art as it should be one must put aside all other interest except on the work itself.
The intrinsic theory suggests that art is an essential element or part of human life. It argues that art is very important and should not be considered as a mere source of entertainment or add on. This implies that human beings have the propensity and need to engage in certain creative activities after realizing their basic needs. It is evident in the sense that historians, archeologists and anthropologists use artifacts as their main source of information when studying various cultures. These cultures used art to create stories, myths, theatre pieces and many more.
With the realization of the world lacking the capacity to support mankind in the last few decades, mankind has been lured by the potential remedies found in art. Art has expressively demonstrated its ability to offer the ultimate solution to various problems from political, economic to social issues. Reports of decline life expectancy and rapidly rising inequality has triggered debates on the significance of art in this generation. Art in various cultures has created a very participative, vibrant as well as a social form of human behavior. This has developed into a phenomenon that elicits reflection, engender empathy, create a dialogue and foster innovative ideas, as well as a dominant and the autonomous atmosphere for effective sharing, expression and modeling of societal values.
In conclusion, for the world to fully realize the potential of art it must first deepen the understanding of art itself and how it can influence societal values. This is because values are our guiding principles; they shape the way we perceive and understand the world.